Man accused of attempted murder after Regina police officer stabbed multiple times Sunday

Regina's chief of police had just attended the funeral for fallen paramedic Leigh Schroeder yesterday, when he got the call.

One of his officers Cpl. Justin Duck, a 17-year veteran of the Regina Police Service had been stabbed multiple times after officers responded to a stolen vehicle sighting downtown.

"I rushed over to the hospital instantly and many of the officers who I saw at the funeral were at the hospital because they had been involved in this call for service," Evan Bray said Monday afternoon.

Bray said Ducklost a lot of blood but was transported to hospital with serious injuries, stabilized and he is now recovering at home. Bray and others have spoken with the officer since the stabbing.

"It's not often that our officers encounter that sort of attack against them," Bray said.

The incident speaks to how quickly a severe incident can unfold and the unpredictable nature of emergency response, and policing in particular, Bray added.

Strain on first responders

He said the stress on first responders means the reality and severity of the situation often sets in later when it's unexpected.

Officers will undergo a critical incident stress management session later on Monday where Bray said they will be debriefed on the incident.

Bray credits officers who responded to the scene and provided emergency care to Duck for contributing to his recovery.

"He's sore," Bray simply said of Duck. "Now that he has had a night, and he was stitched up and repaired, he's sore and he's going to be sore for some time."

Cpl. Duck is expected to return to active duty before the new year.

"We're going to need to make sure he's physically ready, he's mentally ready to come back to work," Bray said.

29-year-old charged

A 29-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder and appeared in provincial court Monday afternoon.

The man isalso facing charges for breach of undertaking, possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace, theft of auto and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.

A youth walked away from the scene at the time. Police are continuing their investigation to determine whether the youth is involved in the stolen vehicle offence.

Anyone with informationis asked to contact the Regina Police Service at 306-777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.